Rüveyde Akbay

Turkey

Prof. Dr. Akbay’s career, spanning more than five decades, is a testament to significant scientific leadership, transformational international collaboration and unwavering dedication to advancing poultry science and agricultural development in Turkey.
Prof. Dr. Akbay’s trajectory from B.Sc. (1962) to Ph.D. (1968) and eventual appointment as Full Professor of Poultry Science (1982) at Ankara University demonstrates a sustained commitment to excellence in education, research, and mentorship. Her career exemplifies the highest standards of academic leadership in poultry science.
In 1972, she received training in poultry science at the Barneveld Vocational Training College in Barneveld, Netherlands. She has held visiting appointments at Spelderholt Institute for Poultry Research (Netherlands), for Poultry Behaviour at Göttingen University (Germany) and multiple U.S. institutions, including Georgia Tech, Colorado State University, and Cornell. These experiences fostered cross-cultural collaboration, the transfer of innovative knowledge, and the elevation of poultry science in Turkey.
With a prolific record of 114 publications in Turkish and English, spanning books, articles and conference papers, Prof. Dr. Akbay has consistently translated rigorous research into practical knowledge for practitioners, policy makers, and academics.
Prof. Dr. Akbay served as Advisor to the Minister of State (2000–2004) and as Advisor to the 8^th President of Turkey, Mr. Turgut Özal. She also represented Turkey for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (UNDP) projects, leading preparatory and coordinating committees in Rome, Geneva, and Kuala Lumpur. Her work bridged science and policy, advancing agricultural development and food security at the highest levels.
She founded the Turkish Branch of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) in 1973 and served as its President since then.
Prof. Dr. Akbay organised and chaired numerous national and international congresses, including the 22^nd World Poultry Congress in Istanbul in June 2004 where she was elected President of WPSA for the 2004–2008 period.
As the Turkish Branch of WPSA, numerous national and international meetings have been held under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Akbay. Some of these include:

• 10^th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition, 1995 Antalya
• 1^st Waterfowl Symposium, 1999 Adana, Turkey
• 15^th European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat & 9^th European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products, 2001 Kuşadası, Turkey
• The Return of the Good Egg Symposium, 26–28 November 2008, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2^nd Mediterranean Summit of WPSA, 4–7 October 2009, Antalya, Turkey
• 18^th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition, 31 October – 4 November 2011, in Çeşme, Izmir, Turkey
• 24^th European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat and the 18^th European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs 2019

Prof. Dr. Akbay has been serving as chief consultant at the Ankara Poultry Research Institute, Turkey’s only Poultry Research Institute, since 1968. As a result of genetic research on the development of local breeds, Turkish egg-laying and meat chicken lines have been obtained, one of which has been named Akbay.
As Editor of the Scientific Poultry Journal and as chief advisor for poultry-related ministerial projects, Prof. Dr. Akbay has shaped the dissemination of quality research and the mentorship of emerging scholars, ensuring sustainable knowledge transfer within the field in Turkey.
Prof. Dr. Akbay’s leadership extended to environmental protection, women’s advancement and educational initiatives within Turkey. Her service reflects a comprehensive approach to sustainable development, gender equity in science, and civic responsibility.
Her roles on national boards, advisory committees and international associations illustrate a career marked by trusted leadership, collaborative problem-solving, and a commitment to advancing poultry science as a global public good.
Prof. Dr. Akbay’s career embodies scholarly excellence, strategic vision and the ability to translate knowledge into policy and practice.
As a bridge-builder across borders, her extensive international experience, research exchanges, joint projects and global congress leadership has made an impact to advance poultry science beyond national boundaries and create enduring networks that propel the field forward.
In recognising Prof. Dr. Rüveyde Akbay, the International Poultry Hall of Fame would honour someone whose career reflects the ideals of scientific distinction, international collaboration, and service to society. Her lasting work has played a part in the development of poultry science in Turkey and will continue to influence future generations of researchers, educators, and policymakers.

Werner Bessei

Germany

Prof. Bessei contributed significantly to the poultry industry and the research in poultry science worldwide. In the 1970ies, he already started with his research on the behaviour of poultry, as one of the first scientists in this field. The misbehaviour feather pecking in laying hens attracted him mostly, and thus he concentrated his research on the investigation of the possible causes in his research career. Until his retirement in 2014 he conducted countless experiments on feather pecking and presented his results in many peer-reviewed journals and reported them in a multitude of invited presentations on national and international poultry conferences.
Definitely, he contributed significantly to a better understanding of behaviour in poultry and, especially, of the underlying basics of feather pecking. He is still a much demanded specialist on feather pecking in laying hens.
Prof. Bessei was born in the south-west of Germany and studied agricultural sciences at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, with specialization on animal science. He did his PhD on the behaviour of feed intake and his habilitation on walking activity in chicken. In 1983 he took over the newly created chair of ‘Behaviour of Livestock Animals’ at the University of Hohenheim. Between 1985 and 1990 he worked for the FAO in Rome, Italy, and dealt with poultry production in the tropics and subtropics. In 1990 he returned back to the University of Hohenheim and took over the chair of ‘Small Animal Science and Farm Animal Ethology’ from his mentor, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Siegfried Scholtyssek, a former President of the European Federation of WPSA branches and a well-known member of WPSA. Until his retirement in 2014 he built up a specialized laying hen population with two selection lines – one selected for high feather pecking activity and one for low feather pecking activity. Besides, he did basic research on space requirements of laying hens, broilers, turkey and rabbits and on enrichment of husbandry systems. Further projects dealt with leg disorders in meat-type poultry, modification of electrical stunning equipment for broilers, carbon dioxide footprint of poultry products, to name only some. From the projects originated many diploma, Bachelor and Master theses, more than 25 PhD theses and 2 habilitations.
Furthermore, the results have been incorporated into countless comments and reviews and these contributed to the national and international reputation of Prof. Bessei, who speaks three foreign languages fluently.
Prof. Bessei was for a long time a really active member of the working group 9 ‘Poultry Welfare’ of the European Federation. From 2012 to 2020 Prof. Bessei was the President of the German Branch of WPSA and from 2012 to 2022 the Vice President (2012-2016 senior vice-president) of WPSA. As a long-term member of WPSA he participated in countless congresses, conferences, symposia and workshops organized under the umbrella of WPSA, many times as invited speaker. Furthermore, Prof. Bessei is still active for the World’s Poultry Science Journal in many functions.
Prof. Bessei was also very much interested in the extension of knowledge between European countries. Thus, he cooperated with the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland), the University of Pristina (Kosovo) and the Pannon University in Kaposvar (Hungary). The Pannon University awarded him 2008 the honorary doctorate for his international activities.

Yitzhak Malka

Israel

Yitzhak Malka was born in Morocco in 1949 and immigrated with his family to Israel in 1962.
In the years 1970 to 1975, he studied at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University, where he obtained M.Sc. degree in Biochemistry and Poultry Nutrition.
For 40 years, from 1976 until his retirement in 2016, Yitzhak Malka worked at the Extension Service of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture. He started as a regional poultry officer and became Head of the Layers’ section in 1992. In 2002, he was appointed as Head of the Extension Service’s Poultry Department, and in 2009 he was promoted to Head of the Division of Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries.
During his years at the Extension Service, Yitzhak Malka also chaired the Israeli Eggs & Poultry Board’s committee in charge of applied poultry research.
Taking advantage of his mastering of French and English, Yitzhak Malka had been very active in educating poultry professional from developing countries. He lectured at numerous courses in Israel, and travelled internationally, lecturing on various aspects of poultry production in the following countries: Cameroun (2016), Samoa (2013), Ivory Coast (2002), Armenia (2000), Nepal (1999), Myanmar (1998), Bolivia (1996), Vietnam (1995), Kenya (1992), Marshall Islands (1990), Togo (1985), Swaziland (1988).
Yitzhak Malka has been an active member of the Israeli Branch of WPSA since 1982, and served as the Branch’s Secretary for 23 years, from 2002 to 2025. During his long service as the leading officer of the Israeli Branch, he has been the main driver of the Branch activities, including numerous 2-3 days Annual Conferences, 1-day workshops, etc. Under Yitzhak Malka, the Israeli Branch has been one of the largest in WPSA, with around 300+ members. This large number of members, despite the country’s limited population, is attributed to the diversity of the Branch membership. As an Extension Service officer and manager, Yitzhak Malka skilfully used his role as an interface between academia, government, the Egg & Poultry Board, farmers’ organization, and individual farmers, encouraging many of them to join WPSA. Under his leadership, the Israeli Branch became a model of optimal integration of all poultry professionals into the WPSA Branch, thus significantly broadening and enriching the professional level of the Branch activities.
Yitzhak Malka was deeply involved in the European Federation of WPSA as Branch Secretary and active member in the Working Groups on Eggs and on Poultry Meat (WG4 and WG5). He attended all the European Poultry and World Conferences from 1996 to 2024, and represented Israel in the meetings of Branch Secretaries, contributing to the discussions on WPSA matters.

Roel Mulder

The Netherlands

Dr. Mulder began his career at Spelderholt, the Institute for Poultry Research located in Beekbergen, the Netherlands. During these formative years, he became actively involved with the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA), where his expertise in microbiology and food safety gained international recognition.
Dr. Mulder’s passion for advancing poultry science led him to chair the Poultry Meat Quality working group with great enthusiasm. He also played a significant role in organizing symposia for other working groups. In 1992, with Dr. Piet Simons as president, he organized the WPC1992 conference in Amsterdam, marking a milestone in the field.
His commitment and expertise made him an exceptionally active secretary of the WPSA, a position he held for fourteen years. During this time, Dr. Mulder participated in numerous world congresses, European congresses, and a variety of working group symposia, furthering the reach and impact of WPSA globally.
Since the founding of the Foundation for Promoting Poultry Science, Dr. Mulder has played a crucial role in the expansion of the WPSA by supporting the establishment of new branches in emerging countries. Under Dr. Mulder’s leadership, the foundation has provided students with the opportunity to attend congresses and symposia, offering financial support to foster the next generation of poultry scientists.
The Netherlands branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association would like to formally extend its heartfelt appreciation to Dr Roel Mulder for his exceptional contributions and steadfast dedication to the WPSA. Dr Mulder’s ongoing efforts and notable achievements have left a lasting impression not only within the Netherlands but also across Europe and the globe.

Julie Roberts

AUSTRALIA

A/Prof Juliet (Julie) Roberts holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from James Cook University and a PhD in Avian Physiology from Flinders University. She furthered her research through postdoctoral fellowships at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the University of Arizona in the United States. In 1986, she joined the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, Australia, where she served until her retirement in 2018. During her tenure at UNE, she taught physiology and poultry science, supervised postgraduate students, and coordinated courses in Rural Science, Agriculture, Animal Science, and Agrifood Systems. Julie is recognised for providing exceptionally thoughtful and supportive mentorship to her students.
A/Prof Roberts is a distinguished leader in Poultry Science, recognised for her extensive contributions in advancing practices related to poultry health, welfare, and sustainable production, particularly in studying factors affecting egg quality. Notably, she led research investigating how minor defects in eggshell ultrastructure, including translucency, influence the ability of bacteria to penetrate and cause food-borne illnesses.
Julie has played a pivotal role in the Australian and the global poultry science communities. She served as President of the Australian Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) from 2009 to 2023 and was the Editor of the Australian Poultry Science Symposium Proceedings across multiple terms, including 2011–2013 and 2018–2023. In recognition of her outstanding service, she received the Australian Poultry Award in 2006 and was honoured with a plaque in 2023 acknowledging her long-term contributions to poultry science and the industry. A/Prof Roberts also served on the World’s Poultry Science Association International Board for a total of 10 years. Her commitment to education and training led to the creation of several poultry science units at UNE and to her secondment as Education Coordinator for the inaugural Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre. She also served on the Scientific and Technical Program Committee and coordinated the Youth Program of the 23rd World’s Poultry Congress held in Brisbane in 2008.
Beyond her academic achievements, Julie is both a highly respected poultry scientist and a colleague who readily and cheerfully provides support whenever needed. Even in retirement, A/Prof Roberts remains actively involved in the field. For example, she continued to co-supervise PhD students and mentor projects under the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in the initial stages of her retirement. She also currently serves on the Industry Consultative Committee of Australian Eggs. Her enduring commitment to education and research underscores her lasting impact on the poultry industry.